Belreen
The capital planet of the Outcast Confederacy, Belreen '''(originally named '''Laertes Major) was settled by force. A group of convicts under criminal exile from the Sezhri Consortium were sent to the system in 214 on a single ship with enough tools to start a colony and no fuel to return. The colony, contrary to the Consortium's expectations, not only survived, but thrived. Over time it expanded into a notable city, and scientists and engineers among the group began building starships based on the one they had been exiled in. Fuel samples were analyzed and the methods for mining it researched and begun. The real challenge lay not in the starship itself, but in building the fusion reactor and voider that any worthy starship would need. They got it right 55 years after their initial exile and sent a new group of colonists to the sister world, Laertes Minor. About thirty years later, the colonists on Belreen were discovered by a scouting expedition from Morgenstern Mining, Inc. Contact was established, and shortly thereafter the settlement that had become known as Outcast City began engaging in trade with corporations and individuals beyond its own system. Although the minerals that gave Belreen its income gave out within fifty years of reestablishing contact with the outside galaxy, the money was enough to give the planet the boost it would need to form the Outcast Confederacy. The planet has an elliptical orbit, throwing it between extremes in temperature. It fluctuates between summer and winter with only two weeks or so nearing a climate that is generally considered to belong to spring or autumn. Its summers lasts approximately two and a half months, with the alternating winters each lasting about seven months. Planetary Features Seasons and Orbit Belreen is subject to many oddities due to its elliptical orbit. First among these, of course, is its seasons. Its summers usually last between two and two and a half months, with only a brief time of transition from heat to the bitter cold of its winters. The first and last months of the planet's winters usually have tolerable temperatures, averaging at -12 degrees Celsius. The five months between those cushions, however, see a steep drop in temperature. During the fourth and middle month of Belreen's winters, the average equatorial temperature is -87 degrees Celsius. In contrast, its brief summers have an average peak temperature of 35 degrees Celsius. Terrain There are only a few places on Belreen where green grass is ever seen; very often the short summers are not long or hot enough to melt through the built-up layers of ice that have accrued over the seven-month winters. There is a permanent ocean on Belreen; the winters are not long or cold enough to encrust the salt water with ice. Mountains, perpetually covered in snow and ice, dot the surface of the planet. Many are isolated, but three long ranges do run across the world's single large continent. Sometimes, particularly after a blizzard or heavy snow, things locally known as "snowtraps" will form. These are craters, holes, cracks, or chasms that are very rapidly filled with snow, either by direct precipitation or by winds driving the snow into them. Because of the rapid buildup, the snow remains loose and is not compressed into ice right away. Stepping into these snowtraps causes a person to sink rapidly down, much like the phenomenon of quicksand. Unlike quicksand, however, the victim may or may not be suffocated. The hole made by the victim may leave a channel to the surface open, providing them with air. Unless rescued quickly, however, death in the planet's extreme temperatures is nearly certain. Livability Upon an initial examination, Belreen is very unsuited to life. Despite its possession of a breathable atmosphere and an adequate magnetic field, the environment's severe and prolonged fluxes of season make survival on its surface very difficult. Environment domes were what made its human inhabitants initially able to survive. As cities arose, things such as enclosed, heated walkways between buildings helped people avoid exposing themselves to the outside air. Maglevs are never parked outside, but rather in sealed garages (either public or private). Additionally, maglevs sold on Belreen are required to have two full-strength backup batteries in case of a failure in the primary; without this, a battery failure would result in rapid hypothermia, frostbite, and death. The cardinal rule of survival on Belreen is to avoid exposure to outside temperatures during the middle five months of its winters. Leaving the protection of cities during the winters is also extremely inadvisable. History Exiles The convicts... The Colony: Outcast City By this time... Interstellar Contact Reestablished In 369, The Era of the Confederacy With the economic explosion that followed... Defenses Outcast SS1 blah blah blah Economy Early Development Before the Outcast Confederacy was formed, 420-465 Sometimes retrospectively referred to as Belreen's "Golden Age," the years from 420-465 experienced an economic boom like nothing seen since Wartime Effects Category:Planets